The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

The self-proclaimed gateway to the Extraterrestrial Highway.

The hallowed remains of a 900-year old Ancestral Pueblo great house.

These huge stone ovens in the desert fueled the Nevada silver boom, and may have also been a hideout for outlaws.

Two well-preserved charcoal kilns survive in a remote part of eastern Nevada.

A mining camp built around an unexpected occurrence of silver.

Settled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1859, this abandoned frontier town has appeared in several films.

Come for the speed, leave in love with the desert.

Irontown was founded in 1868, as a second attempt to mine iron from the nearby Iron Mountain.

A 90-foot-tall psychedelic "tree" on the side of the highway has baffled passersby for decades.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

One of America's largest retail chains got its start in one of its most remote rural destinations.

When it was built in 1929, this historic bridge was the only place to cross the Colorado River for 600 miles.

A sharp bend in a dramatic river canyon cut through red rocks.

Most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.

The marker offers a rare chance to be in four U.S. states at once, though there's some controversy over its geographic accuracy.

A desert settlement founded and later abandoned by Hawaiian members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah's Skull Valley.

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

The location along the shores of the Great Salt Lake of what was once called, "The Coney Island of the West", now sits barren due to arson and time.

In 1952, this restaurant began selling the Colonel's “secret” recipe.

A replica that won't float away.